ETA Community Spotlight: Lisa Forrest, Northwest Bank

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April 13, 2026

by a searcher from University of Arizona in Austin, TX, USA

Northwest Bank is the SBA lender to watch this year. Lisa Forrest and Sarah Andrews joined from Live Oak to build out their platform, and they're bringing 35+ years of acquisition lending experience with them. I sat down with Lisa to get the scoop on what they're offering, how to prep for a first call, and what's underwriting well right now. A few things stood out — they'll look at deals pre-LOI, they've structured the program to go up to $8M, and they have clear advice on what makes a first lender conversation productive. Check it out here: https://ebitcommunity.com/p/eta-community-spotlight-lisa-forrest-northwest-bank Also quick intro since this is my first post: I run EBIT, the newsletter for acquisition entrepreneurs, and am building Ink, personal guarantee insurance for SMB acquisitions (coming soon). I'll be at SMBash next week. Reply or DM if you want to meet up! Jason https://ebitcommunity.com/ https://inkinsurance.com/
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Reply by a lender
from California State University, Sacramento in Seattle, WA, USA
Enjoyed the conversation @redacted‌. Looking forward to seeing you at @redacted‌ AT SMBASH next week!
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Reply by a searcher
from Northwestern University in Minneapolis, MN, USA
Hi Jason, long time no see! Fun small-world moment when your name popped up here. Hope you're doing well. Ink Insurance looks exactly like something I was hunting for years ago, as I considered different paths to funding an acquisition. I think there will be a lot of demand for it from self-funded searchers.
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